From the Graham Academy Classroom – Westside Bulletin May 2017

Chris Hilbert stands with his Science Fair project, ready to talk about the importance of bees to humanity. The Science Fair is an annual event which concludes the unit on the scientific method.

Greetings from The Graham Academy!

As we march into May and the final weeks of school, we are counting down to one of our favorite events of the year! With the Science Fair in the rearview mirror, classes have started practicing for the annual Talent Show coming in a few weeks. Each year, students present their talents either individually or in small groups which include singing, dancing, comedy, and more. Students who do not have an act can volunteer to be members of the stage crew responsible for sound, video recording, and prop setup.

The Graham Academy recently celebrated Earth Day and the completion of class projects. These projects had been designed and built over the winter to be ready for Earth Day! Some spring renovations also took place as old bushes were removed to make way for blueberry bushes. A water collection system was put into place as well as the final locations of the mason bee hotel and bird houses.

With baseball season a few weeks in, classes have been practicing their baseball skills and playing mini games with other classes both in the gym and outside. The classes will have a full game for their end of unit experiential in a few weeks. Prior to baseball, students were practicing track and field events which provide extra training for the end of year Graham Challenge.

Wrapping up a winter harvest season, Mr. Tyler’s class used fresh kalettes which are a combination of kale and Brussel sprouts. They sautéed the greens with spices and used lemon juice from the first lemon harvest. Using the kalettes as a side, they also made baked chicken tenders, learning how to use an egg wash to coat the chicken so breadcrumbs stick through the cooking process.

The cooking lesson was a culmination of a unit on eating healthy which several classes have been learning about. Mr. Corey’s class used an online nutritional guide to assess how their meals balance and then created meal options to meet the recommended servings using the Choose My Plate program.

We are looking forward to an exciting month with our final monthly visit from the Welcome Waggers, our Talent Show, and preparations for the End of Year Celebration which includes the Graham Academy’s first graduating class, Art Show, as well as Field Day and Graham Picnic and barbecue.